Previously On #99: My Favorite Comic Book Youtube Channels (2020)!

In this week’s “Previously On,” I list my favorite comics channels on Youtube.

Throughout 2019, I launched the Comic Book Herald Youtube channel, with regular (now weekly) updates kicking into gear around the time House of X / Powers of X reignited my passion for X-Men! It’s been a fascinating new medium for me, as I’ve frankly never gotten deep into Youtube in either a creator or fan capacity until recently.

As you’d expect, actually producing content for audio and video is simultaneously composed of a low barrier to entry, and a massive learning curve to do it well. I’m a writer first, but I also have enough on-air experience to feel confident in my communication skills. The major challenge is all the technical skill and strategy surrounding that communication, in order to turn opinions and reviews into useful video for comic fans.

Naturally, I’ve gained a lot of respect for those creators who make comics analysis look so easy on Youtube. While this is far from a comprehensive list of everyone deserving (I’d recommend the Twitter thread of recommendations when I asked about others favorites!), these are the favorites that have really grabbed my attention.

Ed Piskor has been one of my favorite comics creators since reading Wizzywig and Hip Hop Family Tree, and many CBH readers may known him from his incredible work on X-Men: Grand Design. On “Cartoonist Kayfabe” Piskor and cartoonist Jim Rugg share in-depth conversations around some less explore avenues of comics history, particularly comic book magazines.

Their magazine commentaries are frankly fascinating explorations of a now defunct form of comic book analysis, whether they’re digging into the remarkable Jack Kirby interview in the Comics Journal, or digging into another issue of Wizard Magazine in the 90s. Since they’re obviously talented creators themselves, this is also the channel where I watched Piskor and Rugg interview Tom Scioli about his Fantastic Four: Grand Design, which offered some great insights into his approach. The channel is definitely better for those readers already deep in the weeds of comic book history and lore.

Shouts to My Marvelous Yearco-host Zack for this recommendations, as Comic Tropes has become my go-to for in depth analysis of everything from Batman to Steve Ditko. Honestly, a lot of Chris’s approach on Comic Tropes is what I’m inspired to emulate with some of Comic Book Herald’s “Deep Dives.”

One of the biggest things I look for in comic book analysis is a clear and unadulterated obsession with the medium in its entirety. Everything Comics Tropes does has that in spades. You literally can’t replicate the topics of conversation without 1) reading tons of comics 2) obsessing over tons of comics and 3) desperately wanting to talk about the ways comics work, don’t work, and influence our lives.

The weekly comics reviewer game is stacked with options, and one of the most consistently high quality choices is Caped Joel. I first listened to Joel on the “Elseworlds Exchange” podcast (with Sal from Comics Pop – another popular YT option!), and enjoy his depth of knowledge and clear love of the medium.

If I’m curious about what’s going on in a book I’m behind on reading (for example the above Shazam), Joel’s always my first choice.

The award for funniest reviewer easily goes to Linkara and his Patreon sponsored “Bad Comics” series on Atop the Fourth Wall. I first found this channel looking for ideas on Ultimate Iron Man written by Orson Scott Card for our own My Marvelous Year “Ultimate Universe” special on the topic, and was blown away with the humor and review craft.

From his recent exploration of IDW’s “Revolution” crossover to whatever “bad comics” come next, I greatly look forward to this commentary and critique!

I definitely can’t talk about comic books on Youtube without addressing the fact that a fair amount of the available content is a cesspool of bad intentions and worse ideas. If a channel’s general tone is “This is why comics suck / are dying!,” there’s a 9,000% chance it’s not for me.

The first time I saw a Comics Drake video recommended, I thought the channel would fall into this bucket. The video was titled “Why Miles Morales is Loved and Riri Williams Is Hated,” and let’s just say Youtube content does not have me expecting nuanced exploration of race and gender. When I watched the video, though, I was really impressed with Comics Drake’s careful attention to detail, and clear desire to explore the question in depth.

In the video I link above, I’m just as impressed with the channel’s willingness to explore ideas he might have gotten wrong the first time around! Comics Drake is easily the biggest channel I recommend here, but that’s intentional, as I think it’s the best analysis I’ve seen for a creator operating on such a successful scale.

Likely my first favorite channel, and a great example of what the form can be, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s “Strip Panel Naked” investigates the process of crafting comic books, with a keen eye for detail and a sophisticated curiosity about everything that makes the medium tick. I definitely feel like I know a lot about comics at this point in my life, but I never doubt that I’ll learn something new watching “Strip Panel Naked.”

If you like the content in these videos, I’d also recommend PanelXPanel, Otsmane-Elhaou’s comics magazine that takes a similar in-depth approach to all things comics.

As I mention above, I’m sure there are oodles of other great channels! Let me know your favorites below in the comments, or on social @ComicBookHerald!

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About Dave

Dave is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Comic Book Herald, and also the Boss of assigning himself fancy titles. He's a long-time comic book fan, and can be seen most evenings in Batman pajama pants. Contact Dave @comicbookherald on Twitter or via email at dave@comicbookherald.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

I’m sort of surprised that ComicPOP isn’t fully mentioned in this list. The main host, Sal, has a deep love of comics that comes from reading them his whole life. It’s really interesting to get the perspective of non-comic readers in Ethan and Ben, who at times may poke holes in the logic boat of some stories that fan may use nostalgia glasses to ignore. And while the channel may be focused mainly on big 2 books, Tiffany brings some indie rep to the channel. She also loves to chat about art, which I really enjoy hearing her praise and critique.

While Back Issues is their main show, I also really love the Elseworlds Exchange episodes where Sal talks with creators. His respect and knowledge really lead to great interviews. Hopefully you’ll give this great channel another try!

Comic Tropes is a fine choice. His intros are amazing too. “Oh, Hi. You caught me..”

Another channel I’d recommend is ComicPop (though you briefly mention them). They have a series called Back Issues where the host walks some guests through a story they’ve never read and hilarity ensues.

The big, heavy hitters like ComicsExplained and Variant Comics are good too.